A/N: It's a short chapter. I'm really sorry. I should have waited to post it – but I'm desperate for reviews, you guys. School is driving me CRAAAAZY.
Disclaimer: I dooooooon't owwwwwwwn Saaaaaaaaaailor Mooooon – oops, I was going to save that one for Halloween. Darn!
Subject to Change
Chapter Twenty-Five:
Tokyo Tribune
Saturday, November 14, 2005
Obituaries
Hiotsukeru Hino, 33
Actress
Tokyo – Mrs. Hiotsukeru Hino of Tokyo died Friday at her home in suburban Tokyo, of undisclosed causes. She was thirty-three.
Born at the Hiawaka Shrine in the Juuban district, Mrs. Hino tended the Shinto shrine with her grandparents until breaking into the television business at nineteen. She starred in the soap opera Hearts Aflame before making her first film appearance as the protagonist in summer sleeper hit The Scent of Camellia. The movie's spectacular success kindled her career, and she starred in movies ranging from psychological thrillers like Avant Gardener to romantic comedies like Knock, Knock, Teddy.
Mrs. Hino is survived by her husband, Senator Takumi Hino; her father, Jokigen Byoki; and her daughter, Rei Hino.
Bridget and Ryori Kino, 34 and 36
Entrepreneurs
Kyoto – Cooking show guru Bridget Kino and her husband, owner of the Daidokoro restaurant chain, were killed Friday in the commercial plane crash Friday that took over two hundred lives. Mrs. Kino was thirty-four. Mr. Kino was thirty-six.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Mrs. Kino met Mr. Kino, a native of Osaka, in France where they attended Cordon Bleu together. They married several years after meeting and launched the popular eatery Daidokoro.
They are survived by their daughter, Lita Kino.
Once a giggling Asanuma had peeled himself off of the linoleum floor, he followed Serena and Darien to the checkout lane.
"Numa," asked Serena curiously as he followed them, "Are you buying anything?"
"Oh, yes," said Asanuma wickedly. "It so happens that I am in dire need of Pepto-Bismol."
"…oh." Serena blanched. "I…hope it…helps…"
"Does it work for diarrhea of the mouth?" Darien wanted to know. "Because if it does, I'm buying another bottle for you, Asanuma!" Aphrodisiac, indeed…
"Oh, I was just joking!" Asanuma chortled and slapped Darien on the back. "I just came to pick up some milk."
"Oh," sighed Serena in relief. "I'm glad."
"Changing the subject," began Darien, eyeing the checkout lanes as he spoke. Aisle three looked like it had the shortest line… "Why did you have detention today, Numa?"
"Did it have something to do with Seiko?" injected Serena abruptly.
Asanuma jerked and stared at her.
"What?" Darien looked from Serena to Asanuma. "What happened? Did he do something to you, Odango?" WHEN? I was with her the whole day…! "DID HE?"
"No, no, no!" Serena shook her head, hair swinging. "I haven't talked to him since – well, you know. But I saw Numa glaring at him in detention, so I thought…"
"He said some crap about someone I know, okay?" Asanuma's voice cut in coldly. He was staring at the ground. "So I punched him. He punched me back. We got detention. The end."
"Sorry, Numa," apologized Serena in a small voice. "I didn't mean to…make you sad."
"I'm not sad!" Asanuma pulled his head up, curving his lips widely. "Do I look mad, Serena-chan? I'm not mad!" He smiled more widely. His cheeks looked like they were about to break, they were stretched so tightly. "Oh, look! The express lane's empty – I'm gonna go pay!"
Serena and Darien watched him skip away.
"You know," said Darien, his words stirring the air near Serena's ear. She unconsciously leaned closer to the warmth, the realized what she was doing and yanked herself away. Eeeeeewwww! "I know I say you suck at lying, but no matter how horrible you are, Asanuma is worse."
"Yeah…" Serena tilted her head to watch Asanuma joking gaily with the cashier, who – by the look of her flushed face – seemed quite enamored by his chatter.
"Odango, your hair is tickling me," came Darien's voice from above her.
"It's your own fault," retorted Serena without batting an eyelash. "For being so tall."
"Excuse me for being able to see over a steering wheel."
Serena scowled darkly. "Stop rubbing it in and get in line, Nerdboy."
The appellation reminded him of Mr. Hamtaro and what he had said about Darien's grades. Darien grimaced.
Serena noticed his change in expression and looked up at him concernedly. "You okay?"
"Of course!" He gave her one of his wry smiles. "Just hungry. It's not often that I go without a snack from the arcade."
Serena frowned. "Me, neither…"
Darien mentally punched himself for bringing up the subject of the arcade. Nice way to rain on the parade, Shields.
Ten minutes later, they were checked out. Asanuma joined them as they headed out into the parking lot.
"Hey, Dare, I can drive Serena home," he said nonchalantly, tossing his car keys up and down.
"Nah, we're good." Darien popped open his trunk and began loading groceries into it. "Serena's house is on my way, anyways."
"Yeah, you only have to take a fifteen minute detour." Asanuma rolled his eyes. "You've got ice cream in there, Dare, you don't want it to melt."
Serena, feeling rather guilty for making Darien chauffeur her al over town when he really needed to be at home working on his homework, piped up suddenly. "Numa's right, Darien. Don't worry, he can drive me home. I don't want you to lose your ice cream because of me."
Darien smiled to cover his hesitation. To let Asanuma drive Serena home would be violating his vow not to let her out of sight. But he could clearly see that glint in Serena's eyes. It was a glint that said she would brook no argument.
"Always putting ice cream before yourself, huh, Odango?"
"Preserving it for posterity," intoned Serena solemnly, smiling back up at him. "Go home, Darien. You look dead."
"Thanks a lot," muttered Darien. He glanced at Asanuma as he slid into the driver's seat. "No funny stuff, alright? It's a school night, and Odango Atama has a biology test tomorrow morning."
"Darieeeeeen!" Serena whined, but he ignored her.
Asanuma grinned. "Don't worry, Mr. Shields, I'll have your daughter home by three…"
"Ew." Serena wrinkled her nose.
Darien rolled his eyes and keyed the ignition. Asanuma, laughing, led Serena a couple of rows over.
"Wow," said Serena in awe, taking in the smooth silver curves of Asanuma's sports car. What was with the guys she knew and their fancy-schmany rides? "This is really…wow."
"Thanks," said Asanuma with a grin. He popped the trunk and helped her transfer her groceries from the cart to its interior. "She's sweet, isn't she? Almost as sweet as Serena-chan."
"Rei would shave my head bald if she heard you saying that."
Asanuma's frame tensed. Serena, sitting in the passenger seat beside him, watched his silhouette and waited for him to speak. When he did not, she sighed.
"C'mon, Numa. You're going to have to talk about her sometime. In fact, I assumed that that was why you offered to drive me home."
Asanuma's thumb pressed the windshield wiper button – thumb down, thumb up, thumb down, thumb up – so that the wipers squeeshed across the windshield, then stilled, then squeeshed across it again, then stilled, over and over again.
"How do you DO that?" he said finally.
"No offense, but you males kinda suck at the subtlety thing," answered Serena, still watching him carefully. "Do you want to talk about it, Numa?"
"I…" he started, then licked his lips. "I just – I want someone to make it better, you know? To, like…I dunno, wave their magic wand and make it all fairy-tale perfect. Or…" he sighed. Squeesh. "Never mind."
"No, not never mind. Or what?" Serena had picked up some skill in persistence from Darien, and she was using it for all she was worth.
"Or make me stop liking her!" Asanuma burst out. " I – I thought it would go away. I thought…I don't know." Asanuma pressed the windshield wiper button again. Squeesh. "I always hoped – since we always seemed to fight whenever we talked – that there was something there, you know? Because – well, you and Dare go at each other all the time, and look at the two of you! But then, she went from being acerbic to just ignoring me, so, you know, I said, okay, I can take a hint. It's just some high school crush, anyways. There'll be other girls, Asanuma. I told myself it would go away, you know? But it didn't. It didn't," he repeated to himself in a flat voice.
Serena grabbed his hand from the windshield wiper button. He was facing away from her, but she gently pulled his face toward her with a grip on his ear. His eyes were distant, his mouth tight and his face lined.
Serena's heart tore. Why did everyone have to hurt so badly? Why was Luna doing this to all of them? Ami, shuffling alone and friendless through the school campus with her eyes on the ground as though afraid to meet anyone's eyes. Rei, stalking around with her stony face, caustic words, and miserable eyes. Why were they doing this to themselves? To the ones they loved?
Something had to change. Life couldn't go on like this. Determination flooded Serena's veins.
"Listen to me," she said fiercely, her eyes boring into Asanuma's hazel ones. "It WILL get better. Okay? I promise you, Asanuma, things will change."
Asanuma brought his eyes back into focus and gave her a smile. It was tight and controlled and sad. Without belief.
"Sure it will," he said, and ruffled Serena's blonde hair. "Of course it will, Serena-chan."
"Girls," Luna said as a familiar brunette wearing a green Senshi fuku emerged from the trees, "meet Sailor Jupiter."
Lita lifted an eyebrows at the cat's flair for dramatics. The little rodent had approached her not long after Serena and Darien left, and urged her to follow her if she wanted information about the Sailor Senshi. Having no reasons not to – what could a cat do to her, after all? – she followed. Maybe the cat would be able to teach her how to use her powers s that she could keep Motoki and Serena from getting hurt like they had today.
Now, she found herself standing mere meters away from Serena's two ex-best friends.
Hmmm.
"Luna," said the blue-haired girl – the one who had tried to cram all that crap about Serena down Lita's throat. "That's – that's the girl you wanted me to follow."
How polite of you to talk about me as though I'm not even here. Lita felt a flame of irritation lick her. And why were they following me?
"Yes, I'm aware of that, Ami," countered the black cat. "Just because I'm in my feline form doesn't mean my brain's any smaller than your ponderous one."
"I – I just – why is she here?" Ami kept her eyes studiously away from Lita as she spoke, and she did not meet the cat's eyes, either. Lita was irresistibly reminded of the pariahs they had learned about in World History, the "untouchables" of ancient Indian society who were not allowed to make eye contact with members of higher castes.
"Well, as you can see, Miss Know-It-All, she's one of you."
What a bitch, thought Lita. She wasn't about to up and defend the blue-haired kid, though – not after all that crap she'd spewed about Serena.
"Great. She's one of us." The black-haired girl spoke up for the first time. "So what?"
"So what?" Luan bristled. "So what? This is EXTREMELY important, Rei – Jupiter's appearance means that Venus will soon appear, at which time we will be able to properly deal with Sailor Moon!"
Oh, so I'm not even important for my own merit. I'm just the harbinger of the arrival of someone more important. Thanks.
A strangled sound escaped the blue-haired girl. The black-haired one thwacked her in the leg with her broom. "Shut up, Ami."
Lita frowned at this battery, but chose to ignore it. If the geek girl wanted to defend herself, she could get up and do it herself. Lita had her own butt to take care of right now.
"Are you planning on explaining any of this to me?" she said to the cat crossing her arms. "Lightning was shooting out of my fingers an hour ago. I'd like to know WHY."
"Watch your tone," said the cat sharply. "And treat me with some respect. I'll explain when I think that it is time. It's not your decision."
Lita blinked. Oh, no. She did not just say that.
Lita grabbed the cat by her tail and lifted her up in the air. As Luna's hair shot up straight and her hackles rose, Lita bent to make eye contact with her.
"Let's get one thing straight, kitty. I'm six feet taller than you. My foot is bigger than your little skull. You are not my mother. Got it?"
"You…are out of line," hissed Luna dangerously. "Rei! Have her unhand me this instance!"
"Hey, I wouldn't mind some answers myself," said the dark-haired girl coolly crossing her arms. "Do enlighten us while you're hanging there, Luna."
"I've told you everything that it is important for you to know," said Luna. "I told you that we have to wait until the last of your number arrives."
"Why?"
"Whoah, whoah, whoah." Lita stepped in. "Before you guys get into your fight, why don't one of you explain to me the basics? Like, why is this skirt so freaking short?"
"Ami," sad Rei in a bored voice.
Ami hunched closer to her computer and typed a couple of keys. There was a whirring noise, and then a hologram materialized on the sidewalk between them. It was a recording of Luna from when she first explained to them what their duties were as Senshi: to find the Moon Princess and her Crystal, both of whom had been sealed away when the Moon Kingdom was massacred a millennium ago by the Dark Kingdom.
When the recording was finished and the hologram disappeared, Lita gaped at the patch of sidewalk for a moment. Then she finally spoke. "What a load of bull."
Luna hissed.
"If it's such bull, then how do you explain the lightning that came out of your fingers?" said Rei, examining her fingernails.
Lita shrugged. "Okay, so you've got me there. But…you've got to admit, this is really weird. Don't you have any…proof?"
"What about my hologram?" asked Ami quietly. "No technology yet created here on Earth is capable of such a three-dimensional projection."
"Uh…I need something more solid. Technology isn't really my forte." Lita paused. "Who ARE you broads, anyway?"
Instead of answering her with words, Rei fished a pen out of hr pocket. Ami followed suit.
"MARS POWER!"
"Mercury power…"
When Lita's light-dazzled eyes cleared of spots, Rei and Ami stood before her in fukus identical to the one she was wearing – barring the color schemes, that is.
"That proof enough?" inquired Rei. "I'm Mars, she's Mercury."
"So you're Mars…and you're Mercury… " Lita frowned. "If you guys are both here, then where's Sailor Moon?"
Darien watched from beneath his bangs as Asanuma's slick silver Mustang pulled out of the grocery store parking lot. When he was sure neither of its passengers – or any passers-by – would be able to se him, he quickly began to transfer his groceries from the car trunk to his Sub-space pocket. It wouldn't do to leave the milk and frozen pizza an all those other must-have-refrigeration goods in the car trunk while he followed Asanuma and Serena.
When all the groceries had been put in his Sub-Space pocket, Darien eyed his car thoughtfully. Perhaps it, too, would fit in his Sub-Space pocket, and then he wouldn't have to find a way to come back for it?
He decided not to risk it. Instead, he ducked beneath it to transform, then followed Asanuma's car, leaping from light pole to light pole.
Luna hissed again. Lita glared at the hairy little rat. What she wouldn't give to be able to stick a chopstick up its furry little butt…
"Sailor Moon," said Sailor Mars, slowly and with exaggerated diction, "has betrayed us and joined the Dark Kingdom."
Ah. So that was why the kitty-cat was so mad.
"However," continued Mars, "we hoped that Sailor Moon might already have confided this in you. Ami told us that you've been spending a lot of time with her."
"Huh? With who?"
"With Sailor Moon."
"Sorry, to burst your bubble, but I've never even laid eyes on Sailor Moon, much less talked to her."
Rei's face turned ugly suddenly. "You're with her, aren't you? She's already turned you to their side!"
"Look, kid, I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" retorted Lita, getting angry herself. Who did these people think they were? Other than the protectors of the universe! "The only girl I hang out with is Serena, and if you think she'd ever betray anyone, you need to check yourself into Bellevue!"
Lna yowled and swiped a clawed paw at Lita's arm. It shredded the skin inside her elbow, but she ignored it, watching the two Senshi.
"Ami?" said Re shortly, eyes burning into Lita's. "Hologram, please."
The clacking of keys followed. Then Serena's image appeared, wearing her school uniform. Her arm punched the air, and lights shot every which way as ribbons materialized around Serena's body and coalesced into the red, white, and blue fuku of the Champion of Love and Justice, Sailor Moon.
"No way," said Lita hoarsely. "No way." Why didn't she tell me? Didn't she trust me? DIDN'T SHE TRUST ME?
"Now do you believe us?" demanded Sailor Mars. "Serena's Sailor Moon, and she turned traitor!"
"Serena…turned traitor," Lita repeated slowly, as though tasting the words on her tongue.
Minako looked around the sparse, foreign room. The bed was white, the walls were white, the furniture was fake wood. Terra had certainly dropped its standards since the last time she had been here.
Of course it has. It's been a thousand years, Minako. What did you expect?
She felt like crying. Her insides were all tangled up, her stomach knotted as though she was having cramps.
Beryl had given her an ultimatum. "Tell me where the princess is and I'll give you Malachite. If you refuse to tell me where she is, I'll still let you go, but he stays with me."
It was an insanely benevolent ultimatum. One that had made Sailor Venus' insides squirm with suspicion. But what was she to do? Commit suicide before even trying to find her princess and sisters-in-arms?
As if.
So here she was, in the apartment – that was the word they had used for it, right? – that Beryl had provided for her, hanging up the clothes that Beryl's disguised youma had bought for her, and getting ready for tomorrow, when she would attend the school that Beryl had enrolled her in. It was a strange feeling, being mothered and taken care of by the woman who had killed your family and friends and beat you into a corpse.
A strange feeling that made Venus want to gag and choke and bleed and die.
But that was not the Senshi way. Without Beryl's help, she had no way to track down her fellow Senshi and protect the princess. Even if Beryl was undoubtedly planning to use it to her advantage when Minako did find her sisters, it would be okay.
Minako had faith in her sisters. Though she was the leader, they were the backbone. Mercury's amazing intellectual prowess would concoct a plan for them in no time, and Mars' familiarity with the spiritual plane would easily locate the princess. And Jupiter – Minako could not wait to see Jupiter again! Her favorite sparring opponent and closest Senshi sister. Minako would not be surprised if Jupiter was already with the princess.
"Minako."
Minako spun. The content, reassured smile that had graced her face as she thought of her sisters vanished.
Because the threads were tangling.
"I told you," she said, voice steadier than she felt. "I don't know where Her Highness is. I have nothing more to say to your queen."
"No, Minako…" Malachite knelt before her. "Please, Mi, don't look at me with those eyes."
"With what eyes?" said Mina. "These ones that spill over with hatred for your betrayal? These ones that fill with tears because I loved you and now I hate you, and neither way can I be free?"
Malachite laughed, but it was a sad, heavy sound. "You're sounding like those novels you like to read, darling. Talk with your heart, not your romanticism. Please?"
"If I spoke from my heart, your ears would be blistered," Minako told him scathingly. "I won't dirty my mouth with the words that describe you."
"I don't want this." Malachite reached for her. It was as though he had tugged on the string; she stumbled a few steps closer to him, going to her knees, too. Close enough that if she reached out, her fingers would brush his fine, flaxen mane. "I don't want this, Mi, I never, ever thought something like this would happen – "
"I killed him for you," interrupted Minako abruptly. "I cut off his head, and – and – and – Luna will never, ever forgive me, and I'll never forgive myself, but it was that or kill you, and then I would die, too, and then who would protect the princess? I hate myself. I hate the bond I had – have – with her. I wouldn't have had to kill him if it weren't for that bond, I could have killed us, but at the same time, I betrayed her by killing him, too, and none of it worked out anyways, and now here we are like this, and - and – and I just want to go back," she ended in a whisper.
Pluto, let me go back, please, I know I'm a coward, but I can't do this, I don't want to do this…
"You know what, Minako?" Malachite's head was bowed, propped against her shoulder. "I love you. I don't show it very well, what with letting you kill Artemis and letting Beryl keep you trapped for a thousands years…" Minako laughed a little in spite of herself, and felt his returning smile. "But I do. And that's why I'm here." He paused. "Beryl doesn't know I'm here."
Silence settled over the two. Dim light from the street below spilled in, but the majority of the room remained dark.
"Your hair's grown out," murmured Minako after a while, sifting some of its through her fingers.
"Mmm."
"Why didn't you cut it? Do you like it like this?"
Malachite raised his head and looked her in the eye. "Mi, until six days ago, I was still under Beryl's brainwashing. Then I remembered who you were, and I was being driven crazy with worry. Cutting my hair has not been one of my top priorities these past thousand years."
"You'd think it would have grown longer in a millennium," mused Minako aloud, twirling some of the platinum fibers around her fingers. "You want me to cut it for you?"
"And come out looking like a sheep?" Malachite laughed. "I think I'll pass."
Minako rested her head in the crook of his neck, and chuckled to herself as his long hair curtained her vision. It was different, certainly, but maybe not such a bad thing.
Malachite's fingers stroked her hair, and her eyes floated shut. Maybe everything would work out after all...
"Serena. A traitor?" Lita snorted, laughing. "Yeah, right."
"This is no laughing matter, Sailor Jupiter!" shrilled Luna. "Sailor Moon is a serious threat to us and our princess, and the blood of many is on her hands! She must be Dealt with – and she will be, when your sister arrives!"
"How do you know she betrayed you?" demanded Lita. "Where's your proof?"
"The proof?" Luna's spine arched. "I'll give you the proof! The fact that I'm alone right now, instead of with my husband! The fact that our princess is dead instead of here and safe! The fact that I'm stuck with you bunch of brainless, spineless ninnies instead of the true Sailor Senshi. That," she sneered, "is your proof, Sailor Jupiter. Now put me down. We have work to do."
"Why do you keep calling me Sailor Jupiter?" Lita regarded her coolly for a moment. "Do you even know my real name?"
Luna glared at her. It was a moment before she said, "Your civilian names have no purpose. They are disguises, nothing more. I have no use for them."
Lita looked at her disgustedly, then tossed the animal into the bushes. "You don't know it." Then she turned on her heel and walked away, a tall figure melting into the night.
"One of you follow her!" Luna hissed. "Mars, you! Follow to see where she's going, then return back here and report."
Mars glowered but leapt off. Like a shadow, she wove in and out of the streets after Sailor Jupiter. She soon realized that they were heading into Serena's neighborhood. Luna was not going to be happy…
Mars froze.
There. In Serena's driveway. A silvery sports car. Asanuma's silvery sports car.
Asanuma's silvery sports car, which Serena was stepping out of.
Mars spun. She ran. As silent and insubstantial as a shadow.
Lita landed in the tree beside Serena's house. She crouched there as Asanuma helped Serena cart her groceries inside, then left. She was about to detransform and jump down to talk to Serena when she heard leaves rustling beside her. Then something cold touched her throat.
"Shove off, Shields," she said dangerously, eyeing the tuxedo-clad teen out of the corner of her eye. "I'm not in the mood."
"Guess what? Neither am I." But he retracted the blade. "Why are you here?"
"… I wanted to keep an eye on Serena. After all the stuff that happened today, I don't want those Dark Kingdom goons coming after her." She was only half-lying.
"So now you know they're called the Dark Kingdom?" An eyebrow was lifted above the mask. "How did you acquire that bit of information?"
"Serena's talked about them," Lita lied.
He seemed to accept this. "That blabbermouth," he said, but it was not unkindly. If it had been, she would have punched his pretty teeth out.
"What are you here for?" she challenged.
"I don't see that it's any of your business."
"Hmm, unchaperoned bundle of hormones with superpowers lurking outside the bedroom of a young teenage girl. Noooo, I shouldn't be worried."
"I've said it's not like that," he hissed. "I'm just making sure none of those "goons," as you called them, show up."
"What's so important about Serena? Why would they come after her? She's just a civilian, isn't she?" Do YOU trust me enough to tell me the truth? Do you?
"There's things you don't know about Serena," Tuxedo Mask said steadily. "Whether she reveals them to you or not is none of my business. But God knows that she needs someone to watch over her."
"And I can do that tonight."
Tuxedo Mask's expression was incredulous. "Think again."
"Have you been doing this every night? You look like you have. If you don't get some sleep, she's going to figure out what you've been doing. I'm giving you the chance to go catch some shut-eye."
Shields took his time deliberating. At long last, he sighed. "God only knows why, but I trust you. More than Asanuma anyways," he added in a flippant aside.
"Do you, really?" The words came out before Lita could stop them. She schooled her face into an expression of nonchalance in a last-ditch effort to retains some of her dignity.
Tuxedo Mask eyed her. "Yeah. I do. And so does Serena. Just in case you were in doubt." He dropped down to the ground, cape flapping.
"But then," he muttered to himself so that only the wind could hear, "who doesn't Serena trust?"
The tree leaves stirred as though in laughter.
When Rei returned to the temple, she said shortly, "She went to Moon's house," before stalking inside the shrine and slamming the door behind her.
Luna hissed impotently and bounded off to only God knows where. Thanks goodness for small mercies.
Ami stood and broke into a run. Sweat beaded on her forehead despite the cool night breeze as she pounded down the city streets. She had to reach home before Mother did…she had forgotten to clear the message box before she left for the temple, and the juku had left another message saying that she had been absent yet again. If her mother heard it…
She hurriedly unlocked the door. The hallway was dark, as was the kitchen, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Then –
Clink.
The lights switched on. Ami's eyes stung at the abrupt transition from darkness to light. She turned, unwillingly, to face her mother.
Steam billowed from the mug of tea in Dr. Mizuno's hands. She took a sip from it, as though fortifying herself, then crossed the kitchen to press the blinking message button on the answering machine.
"Dr. Mizuno, this is Ihara Tutetsu from the Kuritusaru Juku calling. Ami was absent again today. She has not been in class for the past two weeks, nor have you returned any of the messages that I have left daily for the past week. Unless you contact me today with a valid excuse for Ami's absences, she will be discharged from the juku. Good night."
"Mama – Mama, I – I c-c-can explain," Ami stammered.
"Two weeks you've been skipping juku?" Dr. Mizuno slammed her coffee down on the table, and its scalding contents sloshed over the rim, hissing as it hit the tablecloth. "Can you explain why I haven't received any of Tutetsu-san's messages, Ami? A freak loss of power every day at the same time? Sunspots? Aliens deleting my messages? Little girls teleporting from their boarding schools to delete my messages, then teleporting back? What cock and bull story do you have for me this time?"
"I – Mama…" Ami couldn't help it any longer. She burst into tears. They had lost anther Senshi. Someone who could've been her friend…but Jupiter had looked at her like was a worm. The contempt in her eyes…would no one ever love her? She wanted to care about her life, she wanted to be afraid in battles! Instead, she cowered away from her own mother…how pathetic was she?
I hate myself I hate myself I hate myself I hate myself I hate
"I'm sick of you!"
Ami covered her ears, pressed herself against the wall, sniffling, nose running like a two-year-old. This never would have happened to Serena. Everyone loved Serena. She wished, for her mother's sake, that Serena had been Dr. Mizuno's daughter. Serena was someone Dr. Mizuno could be proud of. Maybe everyone would have been happier if Serena had been Dr. Mizuo's daughter. Maybe everyone would have been happier if Ami hadn't been born at all.
Rei wouldn't be sobbing in a corner like this, either. She would have done something. Made her mother stop. She would have transformed and used her fire to teach her mother a lesson.
"I'm sick of all this melodrama. You know better than this, Ami. If you don't shape up, you're going on the meds and back to the old school. Understand?"
Ami nodded, again and again. Tears dripped down her nose like water from a melting icicle.
Darien reappeared an hour before school, fresh as a daisy, in his freshly-ironed (and washed) blazer and school shirts to relieve Lita. He gave her a tight nod of thanks and watched her disappear before ringing Serena's doorbell.
Ring.
No answer.
Ring.
No answer.
Darien sighed and grinned to himself. Oh, well, she had asked for it.
Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring!
SLAM!
"WHAT?" came Serena's voice. He peered around the corner of the house to se her tousled golden head poking out of her window.
"Time for school, Odaaaaaangooooo!" he sang. Then he blinked. What was he doing? Look what one good night's sleep had done to him! He had turned into Asanuma! He made a mental memo to himself never to sleep more than four hours straight again.
"Oh my God, I've got to be dreaming," muttered Serena, obviously thinking along the same lines as him. "Asanuma, why are you dressed up as Darien? And why are you calling me Odango? Darien's the only one allowed to do that."
Darien's grin returned. "Is that so?"
"Duh," yawned Serena.
"Why's that?" asked Darien slyly. Then he blanched again. Sly! That was a word to be used for Asanuma, not him! He REALLY needed some coffee…if Serena would hurry up and get dressed, they might have time to stop at the arcade before school… "Odango, come ON!"
"I'm…coming…" Serena yawned, then fell asleep again, hanging half out of the window.
"Good Lord…" Darien rolled his eyes; then, after glancing around, leapt up to home-sweet-tree-branch and into Serena's room, pulling her inside. "I don't know how you made it to fifteen without me here to keep an eye on you all those years. There's gotta be someone watching over you."
Serena snored on. Darien frowned and looked around. Spotting a glass of water on her nightstand, he picked it up and up-ended it over her head.
"APPSSHULUPP!" Spluttering, Serena jerked awake, water dripping down her bangs into her eyes and down her cheeks. "Rain?" Her sleep-smoky eyes landed on Darien. "DARIEN!"
Quite familiar with the look in her eyes, Darien grabbed his bag and ran.
"I hope you fall down the stairs and stub your toe!" she yelled after him, then slammed her door.
Grinning Darien clambered down the stairs and into the kitchen. A glance at the clock convinced him that there was still timE for breakfast, so he got cracking.
Still yawning, Serena shuffled into the kitchen a few minutes later. "Are any f my bobby pins in here?" she asked, peering around and opening various drawers to riffle around in them.
"There's about fifty trillion of them in your room on the floor," Darien informed her.
"Oh." She wandered back up the stairs like a bunny sniffing out its food, her head bent towards the ground as she hunted for bobby pins.
Darien smiled again. Serena was definitely not at her best in the morning.
Minutes later, Serena zoomed into the kitchen, her hair up in its usual odangoes.
"What's that smell?" she demanded, chest heaving up and down as she panted in the doorway.
"Smell?" echoed Darien innocently, standing in front of the stove and concealing it from her sight. She craned her head to the left, and he moved to the right to block her; she craned her head right and he leaned left.
"ARGH! Darien, what it is?" Serena pleaded. "I'm really, really, hungry! I didn't even eat any ice cream last night before I went to bed, I just had a bag of popcorn!"
"Popcorn, hmm? Did you and Asanuma stay up late last night watching mushy Lifetime movies like you promised him you would?"
"No. Thbbbbb." Serena crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at him. "I studied for biology. You should be proud of me."
"I am proud of you."
"How proud?" Serena jumped suddenly to see over his shoulder. He was a tad too slow in moving to hide the contents of the plates, and she squealed. "PANCAKES! YUM!"
She tried to dart past him to grab them, but Darien put a hand on her forehead and pushed her backwards. "Get some silverware and syrup," he directed her, picking up the plates and carrying them to the table.
"Whose house is whose?" grumbled Serena, but she did as he said and dove into her chair, napkin tucked in her collar like a bib. "READY!" She looked at Darien expectantly.
"Review first. Name the phases of mitosis in order."
Serena sighed. "You always have to make me work for things, don't you?"
"Hey, I could make you answer a question before every bite…"
"Nononononononono! Interphaseprophasemetaphaseanaphasetelophase!"
"Well, we know you don't need any extra sugar." Darien muttered to himself, then pushed the stack of pancakes toward her. "Eat up."
"Finally!" Serena dug in.
They finished breakfast with ten minutes to spare before the bell rang, which was plenty of time for a leisurely walk to school. Darien insisted on quizzing Serena as they walked, which she was not at all happy about at first, but he placated her by conjuring a rose for her every time she got a question right. (Luckily, there were few other people on the street to witness these goings-on.) Then Serena started making a huge show out of answering in different accents.
"During which type of reproduction is a zygote formed?" Darien read off Serena's review sheet.
"Ooh, ooh, I'm all over this one! Guess who I am." Serena cleared her throat. "Ze zygotes are formed during zexual reproduction, which 'appens a lot on ze metro in – " She only got that far before bursting into gales of laughter.
Darien conjured another rose, clutching his sides as he stuck it into the huge bouquet she was already carrying. "Between ze senior citizens!" he added, gasping with breathless laughter. "Ils sont chauds!"
The first bell rang as they arrived at school. Darien walked Serena to class, then raced off to his own. Serena sat down in her desk, then shot up as she remembered that she had left her math binder in her locker. She sprinted out of the room, to her locker, spun the combination into her lock, then raced back – and the bell rang just as she was turning a corner.
She let out a groan, her eyes fluttering shut in defeat, and then –
BOOOO-OOOMMMM.
Serena fell backwards on her butt clutching her nose. "Owww…"
"Great Serenity! Are you alright?"
Fireworks exploded behind Serena's eyelids. Those words – Serenity…
A hand clasped her wrist, and she opened her eyes. The feeling of deja-vu mutated into something else…
Blue eyes blinked down at her. "Are you alright?"
Serena nodded slowly. "Yeah…"
"Thank goodness!" The girl's face, so close to her, stretched in a smile. "I'm Minako. Minako Aino. Pleased to meet you!"
A/N: Ah! Finally done – now it's time to go work on my English satire… (shuffles off to meet her doom)…wish I could use Asanuma in it…
Ils sont chauds – this isn't proven, but according to my French teacher, it means, "They are horny."
To Nimbirosa and Wren Truesong: God, I love Kakera ni Tsukikari. Just thinking about that story lights a candle in myheart – very handy during those dark mornings on the school bus when winter vacation seems so far away. Just reading it is enough to make me believe that there really are such things as soulmates in this world. TO MY READERS: if you haven't read Kakera ni Tsukikari, go NOW and do so, or I will kill off Asanuma! (Asanuma: WHAT? Don't kill me! Take Toki!) (P.S. I'm sorry I haven't rev'd Chapter 4 yet. I've read it, and t's AWESOME, please forgive me for not having tiem to review yet.. (puppy face)
To Serenity-hime: please please please please PLEASE update The Longest Vacation ever! I keep thinking about Mamoru watching Usagi in DDR and all those boys going cray over her (God, that was hilarious), and I thirst for more! Onegaaaaiiiii, hime-sama!